This novel poses important questions to both the young and old of today's generation while remaining interesting to those readers not interested in ambiguous writing.
From Feed's opening line of "We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck," Anderson grips both avid and uninterested readers alike.
Though the text starts out lightly enough, by the end of the book, he has proved a painful possibility, forcing today's generation to think about its current path, forcing its people to think outside of their personal desires.
Anderson's Writing Style and Inventive Language
While Anderson’s futuristic society has its own slang and jargon that take a while to get used to, his use of dialogue, writing style, and invented slang only add to this intricately formed novel, much in the way other books with foreign language inserts or strong dialect do.
His use of snappy sentences and four-word paragraphs demonstrates his points without complicating things, which is particularly appealing to young adult readers who don’t enjoy ambiguity.
The simplicity of the actual writing makes the ending less of a production, and though the parting scene is emotion-filled for the reader, it is Titus' realization combined with his struggle to grasp and understand the need for change that causes the real tears. That and the final ad on Titus' feed.
The Downfall of Human Thought and Reliance on Technology
Anderson has ingeniously revealed our future as a nation and world if we continue along our technologically-blinded paths without taking time to fulfill our spiritual and earthy sides.
Similarly to when Titus kept telling Violet's dad to just explain the reference "eloi,” today’s generation wants information immediately, without taking the time to genuinely understand or learn.
The downfall of human thought and the reliance on artificial intelligence are aptly demonstrated through the need for the feed, much as technologically-advanced nations depend on computers, cell phones, and GPS technology. Text and instant messaging aren’t too far from m-chatting, and the inability to communicate, to really communicate through original thought, would be the final end of freedom.
Anderson's Message to the Modern Day World
Titus' world completely lacks any religion, spirituality, or connection to the world and its people. A powerful paragraph in the text during Titus’ realization, however, relays a possible message from Anderson to today's world.
As Titus finally stands beside Violet, the girl who fought the feed, he knows the need for change but struggles with understanding why because of a life lived with a computer chip thinking for him.
"And I whispered, 'Violet...Violet? There's one story I'll keep telling you. I'll keep telling it. You're the story. I don't want you to forget. When you wake up, I want you to remember yourself. I'm going to remember. You're still there, as long as I can remember you. As long as someone knows you. I know you so well, I could drive a simulator. This is the story.' (297)"
This paragraph demonstrates Titus’ ability to genuinely care about something other than his own wants (or rather what he thinks he wants), his ability to care about something outside of himself.
The novel challenges what could happen to our technologically-driven society in the not-too-distant future if we continue along the same path. But the novel also asks what-if questions.
What if as long as someone in our world carries on the story, the belief, the idea of something more existing and shares it with those around him, the world itself would still exist? Titus' generation is rapidly dissolving, but maybe if its people could carry the belief in any spiritual force other than the immediate and tangible the world could carry on. Maybe any belief in something outside of oneself and any search for a truth in the world instead of solely searching for personal gratification could keep the human race and dream alive. Maybe it's selfishness that will end the world.
By the Feed's end, Anderson has convinced a generation to fight the feed and conformity, to distrust corporate and media messages, to care about the world and other people, and to truly think and discover truth.
The copyright of the article M.T. Anderson's YA Novel Feed in Teen Fiction is owned by Megan B. Wyatt. Permission to republish M.T. Anderson's YA Novel Feed in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
over the summer i was told to read this book. this book stuck in as a book
of interest almost by the first sentence. i love the author's writing
style, the sllang helps us realize the connection between the main
characters. i love this book
Nov 19, 2008 3:17 PM
Guest :
this was an AMAZING book. it really caused me to think about what i depend
on and how valuable my relationships are and why. lots of cursing
though i recommend it to teens!
Nov 21, 2008 11:31 AM
Guest :
I still remember this book, it ended in a pessimistic way- the true meaning
and feeling of despair is the one I felt after this book
I wish
there were more books like this one, interesting, thought provoking and a
true novel for teens like me.
Is there any books like feed?
Nov 21, 2008 4:22 PM
Megan B. Wyatt :
There are other books with a similar thought-provoking style to Feed,
though they are few and far between. My two favorite young adult novels are
Feed and a book by Lois Lowry called The Giver, which will make you
question everything about the world in which you live and has a similar
futuristic setting but instead of everything being extravagant, everything
is "completely normal" to the point of "sameness,"
something which one person decides to fight.
Another great read
that takes place in a more everyday, realistic world is To Kill a
Mockingbird. The language and style are an easy read, but the themes are
rich and complex.
If you would like to read more books by M.T.
Anderson, Burger Wuss is a great satire on modern American life. Though I
haven't read his first novel, Thirsty, I've heard great things about it. He
has also published a number of more recent novels.
Hope you find
one or more of the books listed above interesting, and keep reading!
There's lots of great material that can help broaden and deepen your
understanding of the world around you. :)
Dec 8, 2008 10:05 AM
Guest :
this book is freiken awesome
Dec 12, 2008 12:32 AM
Guest :
It is pretty good book but it is hard to understand(for high school
student) and What are the themes of this book? couldn't get it at all
Dec 17, 2008 2:01 PM
Guest :
is the main theme teenage rebellion? and what are some symbols that i could
use to reinforce the theme, teenage rebellion?
Dec 17, 2008 2:43 PM
Megan B. Wyatt :
The main theme of this book calls for modern American teens to evaluate the
world around them and not blindly follow. Apathy and indulgence are what
Anderson discourages through his negative demonstration in Feed. Finding
oneself and judging his or her values against the standards of the world
surrounding them, as Violet tries to do even in her death, is what M.T.
Anderson calls young adult readers to do. The novel can be difficult
to grasp, especially at a high school level, because the themes are so
complex. A simple "Love everybody" or "What goes around
comes back around" cannot wrap up the complexities of the destruction
of the world as we know it. This book calls for awareness and action. Rebellion is not the main theme, though this is not too far off. It is a
person's ability to think for oneself and know oneself enough to judge when
things aren't right around him or her that constitutes the major theme of
the novel, though of course, this is open to interpretation.
Mar 23, 2009 7:30 PM
Guest :
I love the novel to bits, but I just really got frustrated with the ending.
it feels like a war that completely destroyed the world or something futile
like that. i dont think the novel ended properly. and the only one who
"deserved" to live, and could preserve such things died. and the
one who was supposed to cherish such things (Titus) ruined everything in
the end. putting it simply, i am very annoyed at the ending. otherwise, the
novel is of great stature, and it is a beautiful piece of art
Mar 25, 2009 2:43 PM
Guest :
I have a hard time understanding why everyone thinks teenagers will like
this book. I am 15 and read this book for school, the language is horrible,
the chapters are short and choppy and some chapters are justCac a waste of
pages. if you want to read good books i suggest: Catcher in the Rye A Separate Piece Brave New World A Clockwork Orange and
other books along this line
I'm not trying to say everything
about this book is bad but the way M.T. Anderson depicts teens is
borderline insulting, making them look like stoners 24/7. whether that was
done to show the ignorance of the teens or not, there are more subtle ways
of doing so. Simplicity in a book isn't always the greater thing and I
think that the simplicity that is being conveyed destroys any potential the
book has, there is too much swearing that it makes the characters look too
fake.
just my two sense here, it's all good to disagree.
Apr 20, 2009 11:43 PM
Guest :
I agree with the last guy. At the beginning I could barely understand the
book. It look me a while to know what the other meant. As for it using
slang? what kind of slang does the book use because it doesn't sound like
English slang. The main theme of the book wasn't that bad but if it had
been written by another author it may have been a much more interesting
book. I give it 6/10.
May 26, 2009 12:18 PM
Guest :
good book lots of cursing through
Jun 5, 2009 7:37 AM
Guest :
Loved this book...hate doing essays and writings on it in English class
though! especially when we only get 2 days to do the outline and the full
essay for the final exam!!!
Sep 21, 2008
